


Bakonu

by Bonymaloney



Category: The Outer Worlds (Video Game)
Genre: Crack, Fluff, Gen, non-canonical pet, sprats, theyre like possums but scalier
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:48:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24984097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bonymaloney/pseuds/Bonymaloney
Summary: The Captain acquires a pet. It starts off as a way to annoy Max, but it’s notjusta way to annoy Max. Sprats are cute, ok?
Comments: 3
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Whenever the crew were having dinner in the galley together or kicking back with a serial, Bakonu was there. When they staged their heroic raid on Tartarus, Bakonu was there. While Max and the Captain were banging, she was there too, politely averting her eyes. This is her story.

Pearl was exploring the ducts between the docking bay and the Promenade when she found it. 

From what she understood, Groundbreaker had been a ship like the Hope before it became a station. And although she had no memory of the Hope, once you  
knew where to look it was clear that the whole thing had been repurposed. Like the empty passageways in the walls, easily accessible via some temptingly stacked crates. In her former life as an EMT she’d often had to get creative to go where she was needed. 

She wanted to get a look inside the security station, to find a place she might be able to slip in and out. Failing that, she’d try and get hold of a disguise. She knew how to wear a uniform. One thing Pearl was certain of, she wasn’t gonna burn money on the Vicar. Handy with a gun he might be, but so far his strengths seemed to lie mostly in acting superior, antagonising the crew and taking too long in the shower. If they ended up needing to bribe their way in, he could put up his own cash. Bits. Whatever -

Her thoughts were interrupted by a whimpering sound, so quiet she almost wasn’t sure she’d heard it. She leaned cautiously round the corner, and there it was. One of those possum lizard things. She kept seeing them around, out of the corner of her eye. They looked kind of like iguanas but they acted kind of like possums. Everyone else ignored them, so she did too. 

This one was shaped like most she’d seen, but it was pale and sort of shimmery, with markings that shaded from bright neon to deep pink around its huge black eyes. And it was caught, with its hind leg trapped between a vent and the wall. 

“Fuck did you manage that?” Pearl murmured. She reached for the vent to pull it forward, and the creature chattered at her, swiping with its front paws. 

“Cool it, buddy. Just doing my job.” It was small enough that she could grab both front legs in one hand and hold it still while she used her other hand to free it. “There you go.”

That was it for the day, she decided. She was hot, her knees hurt, and she almost got bit by this little jerk. She was gonna go back to her ship - her ship! It still thrilled her - get a shower and a change of clothes, then check out that bar the Lost Hope. 

As soon as her feet touched the Promenade floor, Max was there beside her. 

“Captain. Were you able to retrieve the information I need from the security office?” Not so much as a hello or an offer of help. 

Pearl was grimy, her joints ached, and she was soaked in sweat from the humid heat of Groundbreaker; but the Vicar appeared supremely unconcerned. Not a hair out of place, his robes were immaculate, and even the slight flush to his cheeks and sheen to his temples were appealing. They made her imagine other situations where his face might be flushed, and she could mess up his hair… Good fucking Law he was handsome.

The creature plopped lightly to the ground beside her with a chirruping sound. Max’s lip curled. 

“With all due respect, why are you wasting our time on vermin? I need to find the man who can help me with the journal. It’s very important.”

Pearl felt her temper snap. She picked the lizard up and thrust it towards him. 

“I went you one better - I found Bakonu himself! Here he is!” 

Bakonu waved its legs at his face and squeaked with excitement, and she was gratified to see Max recoil a little. 

“He’s just an ungrateful, impatient asshole, isn’t he, Bakonu? He hasn’t done a thing so far to help out. And you’re right, he does need a shave.”

She placed the animal on her shoulder and strode off, ignoring the stares of passers by. She didn’t look to see if Max was following her or not. 

By the time she reached the Unreliable, she had simmered down a little. She set Bakonu down on the catwalk, expecting it to scurry off into the hold. Instead, as she began to climb the gangway, it set up a frantic whining. Hunched at the bottom of the stairs, it looked utterly pathetic, and Pearl was guiltily reminded of Felix asking to come aboard. 

“Ok fine,” she sighed. “Just until your leg gets better.” 

She scooped it up and carried it into the ship. 

“Hey Boss.” Felix was chilling in the galley with one of the neon, hideously sweet drinks he favoured. “How was your spy mission? Did you - hey cool! A sprat!”

Bakonu started cautiously exploring the surface of the table, twitching its tentacle-whisker things. It picked up a scrap of leftover bred, sat on its haunches and began to eat. Pearl thought it looked as though it were making an effort to be especially cute and dainty. 

“I found him in the vents, he hurt his leg… wait, sprat? Like the uh, like the wurst?”

“Well, yeah.” Felix looked guilty. “But you’re not gonna be a spratwurst are ya, little guy?” 

“She’s a girl” Parvati chimed in, then looked bashful, as though surprised by her own daring. She flustered a little as her crew mates turned to her; then powered on. “I mean - look at her tendrils. They point down cause she’s a girl; on the boys they point upward.” She held out another piece of bred. “She’s a pretty girl, aren’t you?”

“Oh, by the Void - it’s on the fucking table now?!” Max stood scowling in the doorway. Felix’s eyes lit up as he spotted an opportunity to antagonise the Vicar further, and Pearl was quite inclined to let it happen. 

“Can we keep her, Boss?”

“They’re filthy animals. They carry disease, sprabies…”

Parvati covered the sprat’s ears and gave Max a reproachful look. 

Pearl scooped her new pet up and cradled her, petting her belly. She was scaly but smooth and cool, almost silky.

“We are going to keep her. Welcome aboard, Bakonu.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Awesome commission by tumblr user Kourumi - thank you again :D

**Author's Note:**

> Bakonu was originally a reply to an oc meme (“is your Captain a dog person or a cat person?” “Sprat person.”) But then I became obsessed with her, so I wrote her origin story. I’m not making this fic a part of my series, as I didn’t actually mention her in any of it and it would feel like cheating, but it does take place in the same universe, so if you’ve read any of “Fighting It At Every Turn” (thankyou if you have!!) then you can imagine her there if you like.


End file.
